Boston Bruins rumors: Is Zdeno Chara returning in 2021?

Boston Bruins fans have been anxiously waiting to hear if Zdeno Chara will be returning to the team, but a recent change in the team’s store could indicate that Chara won’t be in Boston this upcoming season.

There has been a lot up in the air when it comes to the Boston Bruins 2021 season. For a while, we didn’t know if the team would play at all. Now the main question is whether or not Zdeno Chara will return to the team.

Currently, Chara is still a free agent. He hasn’t been signed by anyone and it still seems as though he would like to stay in Boston.

More from Chowder and Champions

• 3 Patriots on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
• 3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox
• 10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster Deadline
• MLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return
• 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season

But before signing, Chara’s agent has indicated that they want to know more about what the 2021 season will look like. Now there seems to be some clarity with a potential start date and a proposed shortened season.

Still, Bruins fans have yet to hear anything about Chara. It seems as though the longer Chara goes unsigned, the more likely it is that he doesn’t return to Boston.

Now one of the latest news surrounding the Bruins and the entire NHL has been their reverse retro jerseys. We have already talked about them here at Chowder and Champions, but when they were rolled out, we saw players like the then unsigned restricted free agent Jake DeBrusk and also Chara featured predominately on the Bruins ProShop.

Now that doesn’t seem to be the case. Boston Hockey Now spotted that Chara’s jersey was no longer displayed on the site.

Now of course this is basing something on what’s going on in a ProShop, but if the Bruins believed Chara was coming back, why wouldn’t they market his jersey. He is the team’s captain.

With Patrice Bergeron’s sweater front and center, it almost seems as though Boston is preparing fans for Bergy to get the C on his jersey.

If Chara was to leave it would leave a decent sized hole in the Bruins blueline. The team already did lose Torey Krug.

But it’s time for players like Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk to step up. They are capable of being top four defensemen along with Brandon Carlo. If Chara was on the roster in 2021, he would be suited to playing on the bottom defensive pairing.

Chara’s absence will be most felt off the ice. He is a great leader and has an enormous amount of experience. Now players like Bergeron and David Krejci will need to fill that leadership hole.

So Boston Bruins fans should start preparing for life without Chara, all signs seem to point that the veteran defensemen won’t be coming back to Boston.